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Preparing for Your Backyard Harvest

Home viticulturists should begin preparing for harvest well in advance. From ongoing vineyard maintenance to ensuring equipment is cleaned a

Article

Preparing Your Winery for Harvest

Harvest season is the most important — and demanding — time of year for home winemakers, and it’s not something you want to leave to l

Article

2026 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition Recap

We share the top winners and highlights of this year’s wine competition, which received 1,043 entries from 40 U.S. states, 4 Canadian prov

Article

Set a Foundation With Kit Concentrates

Juice concentrate can be used for more than making kit wines. It is incredibly reliable, balanced, and easy to work with, which makes it a g

Article

Much More Than Just Sauvignon Blanc

We recap and share photos from a recent trip former WineMaker Publisher Brad Ring led readers on, visiting vineyards and winery tasting room

Article

Sampling for Ripeness

Harvest timing is the most important decision a winemaker will make, which means collecting accurate samples to base the decision on is crit

Article

Oaking by Doing

Oak plays an important role in many red wine styles, but it is also one of the easiest elements to overdo — especially on a small scale, w

Article

Petit Verdot: Bordeaux’s Color Adjustor

Petit Verdot is most commonly used as a blending tool to boost color in red wines, though this unique, thick-skinned French grape also makes

Technique

Delestage Demystified

Delestage is a multi-step “rack-and-return” technique intended for red wines when seeking brighter fruit character, softer tannins, a ro

Wine-wizard

Dandelion Wine Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting dandelion wines that carbonated in bottles or browned early.

Wine-wizard

Adding Fruit Character

The Wizard offers recommendations to boost the light fruit flavor in a red wine that is lacking.

Wine-wizard

How Wine Evolves in the Bottle

The Wine Wizard explains how wines evolve in the bottle, which is not always linear.

Article

Live Chat with Ken & Leah Stafford (2026)

Watch the playback of our July 2026 live video chat with WineMaker authors Ken and Leah Stafford.

Article

Live Chat with Jenne Baldwin-Eaton (2026)

Product

2027 WineMaker GaragisteCon Online

February 19, 2027 Your GaragisteCon Online Registration includes: • Full Day of Live Online Seminars and Q&A Panels • Access to Vide

Father’s Day Membership Offer

Article

The Lighter Shade of Red

Grape selection and harvest timing are important to make more easy-drinking reds that are perfect for summer days, but techniques like secon

Article

Crafting Bold, Blockbuster Red Wines

Not all red wine grapes are destined to make a big, blockbuster wine. But even with the right grapes, a winemaker still needs to consider te

Article

Ratafia: A Traditional Liqueur of Patience and Fruit

This simple yet elegant liqueur offers a tangible connection to Italy’s mountain kitchens, marrying the accessible flavors of locally sour

Article

Behind the Table

An experienced wine judge shares why she continues to pull up a seat at amateur competition judging tables — including the thrill of tryi

Article

Vegetative Growth Cycle in the Vineyard

Spring and summer is a time of great growth for your vines. Be prepared this year, as Wes Hagen shares what you need to be doing during your

Article

Dornfelder: Germany’s full-bodied purple grape

Germany is most known for their white wines, though they also produce fine red wines. Dornfelder is a Vitis vinifera variety with a full bod

Article

Make Dry Berry Wines

In many ways, dry berry wines are built like fine, age-worthy red wines. Though more hands-on care from the winemaker is required in the for

Article

Tips for Grape/Non-Grape Blends

A New York-based winemaker shares his approach to making a grape/non-grape blend, using his Cranberry Riesling to demonstrate how complement